E3: the world’s biggest annual gaming event. General consensus: Nintendo knocked it out of the park.

E3 challenges console competitors to showcase their coolest games for the next year or so. It’s the place to be if you want to get previews of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo’s upcoming heavy-hitters. With shaky sales since the launch of the Wii U, very few expected it – but this year’s stand-out company is Nintendo.

Here’s why.

New Ideas

Many companies are retreading old ground, releasing sequels in abundance. Nintendo is too. But this year’s crop of games features some brilliant concepts.

The giant has clearly observed how popular franchises like Call of Duty are. Shooter games are in. Later this year, Nintendo delivers Devil’s Third, an “over the top” third-person shooter based around the Kessler effect which leaves us all without artificial satellites. The Earth descends into war and the player has to battle it out not only with weapons but also hand-to-hand combat.

They’ve countered that with Splatoon. Instead of bullets, glocks and sentries, you’ve got ink, paintguns, and grenades… full of paint!

But it’s not just a poor substitute for paintball. You can switch between playing as a human and a squid, the latter of which allows you to travel through the ink. Like Mario Kart, it focuses on the joy of multi-player. Maybe it’s just the paint talking, but it’s also got something of Pikmin about it.

Splatoon is what Nintendo does best: accessible, bright, and colourful fun for everyone.

Old Dog; New Tricks

The creative ideas aren’t limited to new franchises either. Nintendo could easily fall back on established characters like Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Yoshi without major advancement and not get criticised too heavily. Mario Kart 8, for instance, doesn’t showcase massive progression (adding 16 new tracks and the ability to drive on walls and ceilings), but frankly, it’s awesome. It’s that mix of new and old that Nintendo excels at.

That’s why we’ve got Yoshi’s Wooly World, Mario Party 10 and Mario vs. Donkey Kong all coming to the Wii U over the next year or so.

But many are over the moon about an unlikely release – Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

It’s about time that Princess Peach’s most faithful attendant (who, too, gets kidnapped) got his own game, and this looks to combine Mario’s beautiful style with the strategy genre made popular by games like Professor Layton (a franchise which also will segue onto the 3DS alongside iOS and Android).

A further spin-off comes in the shape of Hyrule Warriors, taking us back to the world of The Legend of Zelda. While you can battle through the familiar climes as Link, for the first time ever, you can also play as Impa, the loyal bodyguard of the series’ titular character. Unbelievably, it’s been over a decade since the visuals of The Wind Waker stunned players; Hyrule Warriors sees another jump in beautiful graphics. It’s due out in Japan at the end of August.

Getting Hands On

Nintendo’s been praised for their presentation countless times on the Internet, so let’s not go over that ground again – except to note the irony that Sony and Microsoft pampered largely to the press, but Nintendo, whose style feels like a warm, friendly hug, is the one who has racked up the column inches!

They really know what they’re doing – and that’s why Mario Kart 8 was alluded to via the now-famous “Luigi Death Stare.”

Frankly, the Wii U is an absolute joy and – dare I say? – my favourite console. Well, okay, the SNES shares that crown for sentimental reasons, but still.

Our reviewNintendo Wii U Review and GiveawayNintendo Wii U Review and GiveawayDespite the increasing shift to mobile gaming, consoles are still very popular devices for playing immersive, graphics-intensive games; and that won’t change anytime soon as long as the major console makers continue to improve with...Read More was very favourable, noting that “it’s a blast to use the GamePad.” People are actually ‘getting it’: the Wii U is fun and innovative.

What helped them make up their minds, of course, was Mario Maker, perhaps the most notable game to be announced at E3. And that’s exactly what you get: the ability to make Mario levels and easily switch between not only editing and gaming but also at least two distinct visual styles. It looks to be a dream for any Nintendo fan.

Further hands-on experience was provided in the form of the sure-to-be-a-hit Super Smash Bros., which is due for release later this year on the Wii U and 3DS. How the gameplay will translate onto a smaller screen should be interesting, but we’ve been starved of Marth vs Charizard vs Ice Climbers vs Mr. Game & Watch action for far too long regardless.

Power Off

Perhaps this is the reason Nintendo will continue to thrill millions: they know their brand inside-out. They know what they’re after and they’re not afraid to stick their neck out whilst also delivering new installments of IPs.

Everything I see with Microsoft and Sony is the same stuff too. A bunch of first person shooters or third person games where you're going around stealing cars or killing people for the most part Oh wow, a new madden, NHL, or basketball game where the number in the tile keeps increasing by one every year. At least nintendo is trying new stuff with the use of the gamepad.

I don't agree. In my opinion Nintendo came in last. Just like they are doing in the console market. I, as a consumer am really tired of what Nintendo has to offer. Nothing they do excite me anymore. Oh great a new Mario game, a new smash bros and so on and so on. It is true that all companies reuse their IP. The thing is that Nintendo has nothing else to offer. At least Sony and Microsoft are trying to get some fresh experiences.

That's fair enough, but I'm with Big John, personally; I'm just not excited by anything Sony or Microsoft are doing, whereas Nintendo appear to be trying new things and reworking existing, popular franchises. Nintendo feels warm and friendly to me. The others seem cold and unaffecting.

"The thing is that Nintendo has nothing else to offer." I think their style remains the same, yes (but that's just brand, I guess), but I have to disagree otherwise: Splatoon, for example, is a truly brilliant new idea.

When he’s not watching television, reading books ‘n’ Marvel comics, listening to The Killers, and obsessing over script ideas, Philip Bates pretends to be a freelance writer. He enjoys collecting everything.